Our whole school trip to Longridge was a tremendous success despite the weather today. I think everybody did something to be proud of; some facing up to challenges, some encouraging and inspiring others and some just showing the right spirit and a willingness to participate. I can only comment on the activities I saw and there were many I did not but these deserve a special mention from me.

A couple of spiders hanging from Jacob’s Ladder;

At least two girls who went up to the Leap of Faith like mountain goats;

Several girls who completed the Leap of Faith against all the odds – we watched with bated breath!

Ten girls paddling as a team;

A couple of stars who epitomise kindness and caring;

One girl for her coaching skills and words of encouragement – you’re a born leader!

Two teachers who gave a new meaning to Project Splash and

Everybody for being there.

The level of cooperation, shared values and sense of fun was an outstanding feature of today. Well done to you all and thanks to everyone who was involved in the organisation.

We were doubtful that it would go ahead but against the odds the sun came out and the rain stayed away so we were able to run Sports Day 2012 as scheduled today. Parents and friends turned up in numbers to cheer on the girls, strawberry cream teas were on sale, and thanks to Mrs Knibbs and co everybody knew what they were supposed to be doing. Just as an extra boost Abi turned up with her Olympic torch (as you do!) and led the girls in a warm up lap of the school field. All the girls did their best in both track and field events and soon the reults and the points came tumbling in. The girls proudly collected stickers at the end of each race and in the assembly at the end of the day they were presented with certificates and medals. Well done everyone!

“Send My Friend to School” is a campaign that has brought together hundreds of thousands of students and teachers in the UK who want world leaders to keep their promise and make sure that every child can go to school, no matter where they live. We want world leaders to pay attention, to make plans and give money to education. They can do this by working together.

Here at Alfriston the Student Council urged each pastoral group to think about the plight of children around the world and to record messages on a gold medal template. These were duly sent to our Local MP Cheryl Gillan.

She enjoyed reading our messages and was so impressed by the work we had done that she decided to post a picture of our medals on her own website: www.cherylgillan.co.uk

Some countries still need to provide the aid they promised, others need to make sure the aid gets spent on education, and many need to spend more of their own money on schools and teachers. We need education to be a top priority because time is running out. With only three years until the 2015 deadline 67 million children are still missing out on school.

When Abi signed up to join the Jamie Oliver Home Cooking Skills course with Mrs Shimmen, she wouldn’t have dreamt that it would lead to her running through Maidenhead carrying the Olympic torch. But that’s what happened!

Mrs Shimmen became aware that Jamie Oliver was sponsoring the Olympic Torch Relay and nominated Abi because of her enthusiasm for cooking using fresh ingredients which led led to her family adopting a healthier diet. There was much form – filling to be done but we were all delighted when finally the news came through that Abi had been accepted.

Her big day came this week when she took up the torch at 11.20am on Tuesday 10th July and ran through Maidenhead with the biggest smile you can imagine.

Y10 and ACE pupils turned out in force to cheer her on and to share her moment of glory. Although her sister said she was nervous at first, she was clearly excited to have the crowd looking at her and she engaged with them and waved like a true celebrity. Abi’s family were also there and they were all wearing Tshirts and hats and waving banners specially made for the day.

Abi’s mum said: “I’m really excited, I can’t believe it’s happening. She’s achieved so much and we’re so proud of her.” And so say all of us!

Well done Abi; you have made the London Olympics really special for Alfriston and given us a day to remember.